It depends on how big those writing bumps are.
Yeah Constantine did play it weirdly safe for the type of show it was. Started getting more out there near the end of the season, though.
Well, it also doesn't help that, based on the recent "Plot holes in Movies" thread, it's become incredibly apparent that a lot of people don't know what a plot hole exactly is.
But yes, a lot of the issues with this episode may/may not be due to time travel shenanigans. We won't know until the next episode
You all keep mentioning plot holes yet you have no idea how RF or time travel works. Considering the fact that the writers knew from the beginning that Wells=RF, then they knew that any scene where the two were together would have to make sense. So, I don't think we can just straight up say "plot hole" when we know very little about how any of this stuff works.
It was clearly a hologram or something like that. Because why should the speed-clone be still around weeks later? It makes no sense
We never actually see anyone interact with Wells once he is inside the platform, so it is conceivable that he had the hologram programmed to take over for him and shoo away anyone who gets close with an "I'm fine, go check on the whole squad of cops that just got murdered."
The only time he'd really need the two places at once trick is during the beating he gives himself as that would be hard to choreograph with the hologram.
I also noticed that Wells (on the platform) never moves after RF starts thrashing the cops, which would make sense for a speed clone.
Here's the best explanation I can think of.
The force field trick can be explained by the Hologram technology. Since this episode reveals that Wells can't time travel at the moment and that the RF initially inside the FF was a projected illusion, it stands to reason that there was only one RF at any given time. Wells rigged the hologram, which is why it ignores Joe's direct question about Norah Allen and only addresses Wells while the force field is up. Wells conveniently mentions that someone with his powerset, which is identical to The Flash, should be able to survive within the forcefield. He also sabotaged the system
and cameras, so that Cisco would not be able to trace the moment he pulls "the switch."
Now the switch is the hard part. He has to seamlessly enter the platform, turn off the hologram, begin convincingly pummeling himself as RF (not hard, as it's dark, the cameras are off and Barry isn't there to spot check), All he would require is the briefest microsecond of FF fluctuation to have the hologram "pretend" to run out and grab him, and then he runs in to start the faux-beating.
Then, when the FF is disengaged fully (which only happens when Cisco turns it off manually at Joe's behest), he starts
another short looping hologram of Wells (as crack-king and morningbus suggested) just panting on the platform, and goes on to deal with the cops, pretend to menace Eddie, and then kick the crap out of Barry. When he runs off at the end, Barry is nearly unconscious, so he just runs back to the platform, turns off the hologram, and resumes his role as Wells without anyone being the wiser.
This explanation doesn't require any time travel shenanigans or any technology outside of what has already been displayed. A slight alternative is that there never actually was a FF fluctuation, and that Wells simply vibrated through the platform to make Cisco think it had malfunctioned, and simply waited for Cisco to manually turn it off. Neither Flash nor RF has shown the ability to vibrate through solid matter yet, but with the manner of Cisco's death in this ep, it's only a matter of time.